


Sorry Is Not Enough

by foreverandeveralone



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Soren is super smart, Spock is the best father ever
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2016-01-28
Packaged: 2018-03-03 00:44:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2831978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverandeveralone/pseuds/foreverandeveralone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spock was put on light duty following an injury. Jim, missing his boyfriend, came to one of his labs and seduced him, which, of course, ended in hot sex.</p><p>What Jim didn't know was that Spock was working on creating an environment that allowed the sperm of 2 males to combine into an embryo.</p><p>And Spock, distracted by Jim, forgot to close the lid to his completed experiment.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Set in an alternate universe where Vulcans can only fall in love once in their life.

“Computer, locate Commander Spock.” – Jim said as soon as he left the bridge after his shift.

“Commander Spock is in Laboratory 2.” – replied the automatic voice of the computer, and so Jim sighed as he made his way to Lab 2. Spock was injured 2 days ago during an away mission, and Bones had announced that the Vulcan would be put on light duties for the next 4 days, and so he wasn’t allowed on the Bridge.

Jim couldn’t wait for that 4 days to be over. He missed his boyfriend on the bridge. It just…wasn’t the same without Spock. He could put up for a few days, but he was pretty sure he wouldn’t enjoy being the Captain this much if Spock wasn’t with him.

Jim entered his code and the door to Laboratory 2 slid open, revealing a room full of tubes and other science equipment. And in the middle of the room was one Vulcan, Jim’s Vulcan, focusing intently on the microscope before moving slightly away, a slight frown on his face. He then moved the specimen he was observing away from the microscope and opened the lid, staring at it as if he just discovered the most…fascinating thing in the world.

“Having trouble with your experiment, Professor?” – Jim asked with a seductive voice as he came to a stop right behind Spock.

Spock turned around to face Jim, his eyes full of warmth and amusement.

“In fact, I am not, Cadet.” – the Vulcan replied smoothly – “I have just finished with my work for the day. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“Hmm.” – Jim pretended to think for a while before grinning mischievously and sat down on Spock’s laps. – “Computer, engage privacy lock. Captain’s Authorization code: 7 – 8 – 4 – Delta – 5 – Omega – Alpha – 2.”

“Privacy lock engaged.” – replied the automatic voice of the computer.

With that, Jim grinned and cupped Spock’s face in his hands and began to give the Vulcan a passionate kiss. Spock tried to stop Jim, but the blonde didn’t relent.

“Jim…” – Spock tried to say between kisses – “I do not think…this is…wise…”

“Is that so, Professor?” – Jim moved a little away and smirked mischievously – “Oh well, guess I’ll have to find someone else who can help me with my homework then. I heard Dr. McCoy is very skilled, maybe he could…”

Jim knew he won when Spock let out a growl and with one swift movement, the Vulcan switched their position as Jim was now half lying on the table, his legs wrapped around Spock’s waist as the Vulcan hovered over him, their eyes locked in an intense stare.

“Well, Professor…” – Jim leaned up so that his mouth was close to Spock’s ear, whispering – “My assignment today is to get fucked, and I can’t do that alone. Can you help me?”

Letting out another growl, Spock crushed their mouths together in a heated, passionate kiss.

***

Both of them panted heavily as Spock slowly pulled out of Jim’s body before crushing their mouths together once more time, but this time the kiss was much slower and gentler.

“Thanks for the help, Professor.” – Jim grinned against Spock’s mouth, whispering to the Vulcan.

“That was a…commendable performance, Cadet.” – Spock raised an amused eyebrow at Jim before moving slightly away and pulled his pants up. He then turned to the mirror at the closet and fixed his hair back to its original state, before Jim had messed it up. As for Jim, he was also doing the same when he noticed the small pool of cum that had dripped from his body to the table when Spock pulled out. Suddenly feeling so fascinated, Jim used one finger to scoop a little up and stared at it before snorting and flickered his finger, snapping it away. He then grabbed some paper towel and wiped the table while snickering.

“We should have let a Yeoman clean up our mess. I wonder what they would say when they see it.”

“Even you are not that shameless, Jim.” – Spock said as he wrapped his arms around Jim’s waist from behind, kissing him softly on the neck before moving away and grabbed some paper towel of his own, wiping the small area on the floor near the table.

“Yeah yeah.” – Jim grinned. That was when he noticed the small container containing the specimen Spock was working on, with the lid still opened. Shaking his head, his grin grew wider when he realized he had the power to make Spock, his perfectionist Vulcan, forget everything else. Carefully closing the lid, Jim moved the container towards a more secured place on the table.

“Are you done?” – Jim asked as he threw the paper towel into the trash can and looked at Spock, who also stood up and nodded.

“Cool.” – Jim smiled as Spock threw the paper towel away – “Dinner?”

“Very well.” – Spock nodded and Jim led the way out of the lab, still smiling. The door closed off behind them, cutting off their conversation.

Little did they know they just created the most magical thing in the entire universe. One drop of Jim’s sperm had fallen into the small container when he came, joined by one drop from Spock when Jim snapped his hand. The small container laid there in the dark, nourishing the combination of 2 of the brightest minds of Starfleet.

***

Spock leant back against his chair, unable to believe his eyes.

It worked.

He thought he had run into a dead end yesterday, but the truth was it actually was completed.

He knew it wasn’t really his fault, since this was the first time an attempt like this was made, and he couldn’t really know if it worked or not. But now there was no mistake. It actually worked.

Spock scrambled for the microscope again. There it was. The tiny embryo in the lid was unmistakably half Vulcan, half human. 

His son. His and Jim’s son. Their son.

That made Spock fall backwards into the chair again. He still had no idea what Jim’s opinion on a child would be. Spock already knew that he himself had been craving for a child for so long, and that was why he began working on this experiment. A Vulcan was only able to fall in love only once in their life, and Spock knew that he had spent his chance on Jim. He tried fighting it, he didn’t want to fall in love with Jim because he thought Jim took no interest in him, but love wasn’t something he could control. He fell in love with Jim, and had spent an entire year (1 year, 2 months and 1 day) telling himself that he would never be able to have a family of his own because he fell in love with the wrong one, the one that would never be interested in him.

Until that day, when he pushed Jim aside and took the phaser shot right in his chest during an away mission gone wrong.

He was in his healing trance when he heard Jim said it. Jim had come to sickbay, held his hand in his own, and cried. Jim had cried, pleaded for Spock to wake up, and through their contact, with his shields completely down, Spock felt Jim’s affection for him. Contrary to what many believed (including Jim), a healing trance wasn’t a coma. Spock might be laying as still as a rock, but he still knew what was happening around him. And so, after he woke up, he went to confront Jim about the captain’s actions in sickbay.

Needless to say Jim denied everything at first. Stubbornly insisted that Spock was hallucinating, that he never did anything like that.

Until Spock was so tired of it that he slammed Jim into the wall and kissed the hell out of him.

And as they say, the rest was history.

They had been together for 3 years, 3 months and 16 days, and they were both pretty happy with their lives. Sure, they drove each other insane, but their arguments always ended in hot, angry sex, which then led to sweet, make up sex. Spock had never dared to hope that he would one day be together with his beloved, and for the past 3 years, 3 months and 16 days he had been holding his beloved in his arms every night, blonde hair tucked carefully under his chin. Well, not every day was like that. Sometimes he or Jim would be captured and held hostage on some planets for a few days, but they always managed to rescue each other.

Spock never even thought of being with anyone else, and so he began to work on this experiment. An environment that allowed the sperm of 2 males to combine to create an embryo. Because he couldn’t even bear the idea of having a child with anyone else other than Jim. For so long, he had dreamt of having his own Vulcan child, a Vulcan with Jim’s blue, blue eyes.

And now he succeeded.

Spock took another look at the scanning results. The environment wasn’t 100% perfect, as his son would appear to be half Vulcan and half human. Had it been perfect, his son would only be 25% Vulcan, but the environment somehow messed up with Spock’s DNA and only allowed the half Vulcan part of him to mix with Jim’s human part. But Spock wasn’t complaining. He would love his son no matter what he would be. 

And he needed to tell Jim.

His original plan was to complete the experiment, then convince Jim to have a child, then they would do this together. But somehow step 3 had managed to jump in front of step 2.

Spock leant back against the chair one more time and let out a sigh. How was he going to break the news to Jim?

***

“Do you want a child, Jim?” – Spock asked from the bed as Jim changed into his pajamas that following night. Spock’s question made Jim stop his movements, for only half a second at most, before continuing as if nothing had happened.

“No.” – Jim replied blankly, almost immediately after Spock’s question, which startled the Vulcan, and Spock couldn’t deny that it stung. Very much. Jim didn’t even bother to think about it?

“Why not?” – Spock asked, carefully hiding any emotion from his voice.

“I’m not parental material, Spock.” – Jim replied casually, putting on his shirt – “My dream is space, it has always been space. Not a family.”

“But you can have both.” – Spock pointed out – “I am certain I can convince Starfleet to let us raise our child on the Enterprise.”

“Still no, Spock.” – Jim replied as he climbed on the bed and laid down next to his boyfriend, but they were not touching – “I don’t want one.”

“But Jim…” – Spock tried to convince him a little more, but Jim was having none of it.

“I already said no! Why are you so insisted on it?” – Jim snapped as he glared at Spock, clearly irritated.

“Because I love you.” – Spock replied with all his sincerity – “I cherish you. I want to have a child, and I cannot bear the idea of having a child with anyone other than you.”

That made Jim close his eyes and turned his head away. Spock said it, again. ‘I love you, I cherish you’. Jim had never said it to Spock, and one of the reason Jim was still with Spock up to this point was because Spock never asked Jim to say it. 

“The answer’s still no.”

“Jim…” – Spock sounded desperate, but Jim immediately cut him off.

“If you want a child so bad, go screw someone else.”

That sentence made Spock’s blood run cold and his heart constrict painfully at his side. The hand he was raising to gather Jim into his embrace fell down to the bed.

“Very well.” – Spock replied, and closed his eyes.

That was their very first argument that did not end in sex.

And that was their very first night they slept without touching each other.

***

“SAY WHAT?” – Leonard McCoy nearly screeched as he stared incredulously at his Vulcan friend, who was clearly avoiding his gaze – “You didn’t just tell me that you accidentally created a kid with Jim, did you?”

“I believe that is what I just said, Leonard.” – Spock replied calmly, but was still not looking at Leonard.

“Fuck. Me.” – McCoy breathed out heavily as he flopped down onto his chair before picking up his bottle of Bourbon and drank directly from it. – “What now?” – McCoy asked after he put the bottle down on the table.

“Jim has expressed that he does not have a desire for a child at the moment. However, I still want to try to change his mind.” – Spock replied as he stared at his untouched glass of water.

“I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean what he said.” – McCoy said with a sigh – “You know us humans, we tend to say what we don’t mean when we’re angry.”

“I understand, and I am not mad at him. However, I am…sad that he does not want to have a child with me.” – Spock admitted, before frowning – “I believe humans also tend to say what they do not mean when they are intoxicated, am I correct? Jim is currently in a bar on the planet, and I am 87% certain that he will come back intoxicated.”

“That high, huh?” – McCoy laughed slightly before standing up and clapped Spock on his shoulder – “Come on, let’s hit the gym for a while and then we can go down there for a walk. It’s a good way to let off some steam, and Jim can have his time cooling down.”

Nodding, Spock stood up. Together, the two of them made their way from sickbay towards the gym in comfortable silence. However, as they took a turn at the corner that led to the Senior Officers’ quarters (it was a shortcut that only the senior crew was allowed to use), a scene that both of them never dreamt of seeing stopped them dead in their tracks.

Jim, unmistakably Jim, was having an Orion girl up the door and was kissing her as if his life depended on it. In a swift movement, the door to the Captain’s quarters opened and both of them disappeared inside before the door closed.

All of that happened right in front of Spock and McCoy’s eyes, taking less than 5 seconds.


	2. Chapter 2

“Are you sure there’s no sign of Spock on board the ship?” – Jim asked into the comm again, his patience growing thinner and thinner every second.

“Aye, Captain.” – Scotty answered through the communicator – “I checked the ship’s sensors, they are currently working perfectly. The Commander is neither on board the Enterprise. And before you ask, yes I already did a scan on the planet’s surface. There is no Vulcan life sign there either, sir.”

Jim stood up from his chair and began pacing around the bridge.

“GOD DAMN IT! WHERE THE FUCK IS HE? SPOCK’S NEVER LATE, AND WE’RE ALREADY 2 DAYS BEHIND OUR SCHEDULE!” – Jim ran his fingers through his hair – “This isn’t like him.”

The bridge was completely silent. Nobody knew what happened to Spock, and nobody dared to speak up. The Captain was clearly very frustrated. However, the silence didn’t last long as Uhura hesitantly broke it.

“Captain, Command just sent a warning…” – she hesitated before continuing – “They ordered us to leave for our mission immediately.”

“What?” – Jim turned to her, his eyes widened – “Didn’t they receive the notice of Spock’s absence?”

“They did, sir.” – Uhura answered – “Yet, the order still came through.”

“Patch me through to Command.” – Jim said with a low voice – “I’ll take it in my ready room.”

Uhura nodded and immediately, Jim left the bridge for his ready room. Only seconds after he was inside did Barnett’s face appear on the big screen, staring down at him.

“Kirk, why hasn’t the Enterprise resumed its mission yet? This is not what I expected when you were made the captain.”

“Sir…” – Jim gulped before continuing, staring right in the Admiral’s eyes – “Commander Spock is still missing, and I don’t think leaving without him is the right thing to do.”

“What do you mean Commander Spock is missing?” – Barnett asked, frowning in confusion.

“Missing, as in he is neither on board the Enterprise nor on the planet’s surface?” – Jim asked back, also frowning – “I thought we have sent you a report on the incident?”

“Wait a second…” – Barnett’s eyes went wide in surprise – “Are you telling me you don’t know?”

“Know what, sir?” – Jim replied, trying to remain as calm as possible, while in fact he was feeling his stomach doing a somersault.

“Spock resigned from active duty 4 days ago and had taken up a permanent teaching position at Starfleet Academy.” – Barnett said, looking down on what appeared to be his PADD, therefore missed the way Jim’s eyes widened in disbelief – “Here, I have your Chief Medical Officer’s report, Dr. Leonard McCoy, right? He has declared Spock emotionally compromised and therefore unfit for long term active duty. They didn’t tell you?” – Barnett looked up and from the look of utter surprise on Jim’s face, he could guess that indeed, they didn’t say anything to Jim.

“I… No, sir…” – Jim replied, still unable to believe what he just heard – “I… They didn’t tell me…”

Barnett’s eyes softened in empathy as he looked at the Captain of the Enterprise, clearly lost.

“I’ll give you one more day to get it together, but I can’t give you longer than that.” – Barnett said, softly but sternly – “The Enterprise leaves tomorrow.”

“I… Yes, sir.” – Jim nodded, trying to get it together – “Thank you, sir.”

Barnett nodded and the transmission was cut off. As soon as Barnett’s face disappeared from the screen, Jim fell down onto the nearby chair heavily, unable to get it together. Spock…resigned? And Bones…approved? And they didn’t even think of informing him? Making him look like a fool because the captain didn’t even know the whereabouts of his own crew?

But if Jim was to be honest with himself, that wasn’t even in his mind right now. His mind was currently full of…betrayal. The two people who were supposed to be closest to him.... They betrayed him together.

“Computer, connect to Commander Spock.” – Jim said after taking a deep breath.

It took the system 5 seconds to reply.

“Transmission blocked.”

What?

“Retry, computer. Connect to Commander Spock.” – Jim said again, a little impatient.

“Transmission blocked.” – the same reply.

No, this couldn’t be happening. Something was wrong.

“Connect to Starfleet communication service.” – Jim said instead. This time, the transmission went through, and a female voice could be heard from the other side of the line.

“Greetings, Captain Kirk. What can I do for you today?”

“I think there’s something wrong with your service.” – Jim said, impatience and annoyance and irritation clear in his voice – “I can’t set up a transmission to Commander Spock. It keeps saying that the transmission is blocked.”

“Oh.” – said the female operator – “Hang on a minute, Captain. Let me check.”

Jim waited impatiently for a few seconds before she spoke up again.

“I’m sorry, Captain, but apparently that is the case. Commander Spock has indeed requested for all transmission from any member of the Enterprise’s crew to be blocked, with Dr. Leonard McCoy as the only exception.”

What?

“Are… Are you sure that’s the case?” – Jim asked after a while, unable to believe what he just heard.

“It is, sir. Direct order from Admiral Komack.” – the operator replied.

“Oh… Okay.” – Jim gulped – “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome, Captain. Is there anything else I can do for you?”

“N… No.” – Jim replied, his voice unsteady – “That’s all.”

“All right. Have a good day, Captain.” – With that, the transmission was cut off.

Jim continued to sit there, trying to gather his thoughts. Suddenly feeling an anger he had never felt before, Jim stormed out of his ready room and made towards sickbay, ignoring the questioning and concerning looks of his crew. Everybody that he met on his way immediately moved to the side to make way for him, clearly intimidated by the look on his face, but he didn’t fucking care.

He needed to find Bones. To ask him why he betrayed him like that.

***

Leonard McCoy was sitting in his office in the Enterprise’s sickbay, checking on the crew’s most recent medical check-up when he noticed Jim storming into sickbay and was heading straight to his office with a super pissed off look on his face. Sighing, he put down his PADD and looked up at the door, the same moment as it slid open and Jim came in.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME?” – Jim almost growled at him – “You knew why we’ve been staying here for the past 2 days! You knew it all along, and you never said anything! Why the hell did you do that? And why did you sign that report without saying anything to me?” – Jim’s face was red, showing his anger clearly.

“Doctor-patient confident. I can’t inform you if Spock doesn’t want me to. Well, I could if you were his husband, but last time I checked you two were not married.” – Bones stared at Jim and replied with a calm voice.

Jim’s eyes widened a little bit before surprise was once again wiped from his face.

“Fine, but why the hell didn’t you say anything AFTER Spock had left then? Besides, I believed a resignation needed the Captain’s approval! I don’t remember such a report being handed to me!”

“Did you forget what kind of family Spock is from?” – McCoy replied with the same calm voice as he picked up his PADD again – “He pulled some strings, and his request got accepted directly by Command. No need for the Captain.”

Jim couldn’t deny that his best friend’s words…stung. Badly.

“Why?” – Jim flopped own in the chair opposite to his best friend, staring at him as if he just saw him for the first time – “You guys are supposed to be the closest to me… Why did you guys do this to me? You guys…betrayed me…” – Jim shook his head slightly, unable to believe what just happened to him.

“Betrayed, Jim?” – McCoy put his PADD down as he stared at his best friend – “Betrayed, huh? If you call this betrayal, so what do you call it when you had that Orion girl in your room 5 days ago?”

Jim’s head snapped up as he stared back at his friend, eyes impossibly wide.

“You…saw it?”

“I wasn’t the only one.” – McCoy mumbled before he averted his gaze to the side.

Jim frowned a little bit before his eyes widened again, but his time in realization.

“Don’t tell me… Spock saw it too?” – Jim asked, his voice shivering a little bit.

“Why else do you think he resigned?” – McCoy grumbled, eyes still not looking at Jim. Actually, that was only half the reason, but Spock had explicitly told him not to tell anyone else, and McCoy respected his friend’s wish.

“Fuck.” – Jim breathed out, thinking about that night. He was so mad at Spock that he had gone to the bar that night, trying to get drunk to forget everything. The night past by as a blur in his mind, and the next thing he remembered was that he woke up in his bed with the Orion girl right beside him.

Jim still remembered the sinking feeling in his stomach when he realized what just happened. He had quickly sent the Orion girl on her way, and he had thought he was lucky when he didn’t run into anyone. When Spock was nowhere to be seen the following days, Jim had thought Spock had just gone down to the planet to cool down from their previous fight, because the Vulcan had sometimes done so in the past, when they had a fight. Jim knew, and had come to terms that he was the one at fault in this fight, and he had intended to come clean to Spock when he returned, and ask for his forgiveness.

But apparently it was too late.

“I fucked up so badly, didn’t I?” – Jim asked with a soft, small voice, unaware that a few tears were beginning to stream down his face.

Sighing, McCoy stood up and walked around, gathering Jim into a hug.

“I’m sorry, kid.” – he mumbled – “Spock was pretty determined when he left.”

“I’ll have to choose a new First Officer and Chief Science Officer…” – Jim said with a broken voice – “Fuck, how am I supposed to find anyone as effective as him? There can’t be anyone… It won’t be the same…”

McCoy only hugged Jim tighter.

***

**_5 years later_ **

Jim was attending some kind of dress party at Starfleet Academy. The second 5-year mission had ended a month ago, and Command had intended to promote Jim to an Admiral, but he put up a very good fight, and so they finally relented and let him be the Captain of the Enterprise for another 5 years. The refitting was going to take a full year, though, and so Jim had been out of work for a month. He had thought of taking up some kind of teaching position at the Academy, but then…

“May I have your attention, please?” – the MC, an attractive Orion woman, spoke through the microphone from where she was standing on the main stage – “Now is the time for us to present the award for Professor of the Year! Please welcome on stage: Admiral Pike!”

Jim smiled and along with everyone else, gave a round of applause as Pike walked on stage. Contrary to what Starfleet doctors believed, Pike made a full recovery from that incident with Khan and was now in better shape than ever.

Jim’s eyes scanned the room to see if he could see anyone familiar (in fact, only one person he wanted to find) but since there was no lights on except for the one on stage, Jim couldn’t see pretty well, and also missed almost of Pike’s speech. However, his eyes went back to the stage just as Pike opened the envelope containing the results for the award.

“Wow!” – Pike grinned – “Third year in a row! Congratulations to this year’s Professor of the Year, Principal Spock!”

Jim’s eyes widened as he watched Spock calmly walked up to the stage and nodded slightly at Pike, who grinned at him and stepped back for him to accept the award and give his speech.

“I find it odd” – Spock began his speech with a raised eyebrow – “that even though I am the Principal now, and do not participate in active teaching, I am still awarded with the title of Professor of the Year. Moreover, I have been informed that only 12 Cadets did not vote for me, which, surprisingly, coincides with the number of Cadets that took, and failed, the Kobayashi Maru exam in the last year.” – the whole party hall broke out into laughter at that. Spock waited for the laughter to die down, before continuing – “I am really thankful that so many Cadets think I am a great Professor, and I will try my best to maintain this title, and to keep Starfleet Academy the ideal place for anyone who is interested in a career at Starfleet.”

The whole hall gave Spock a standing ovation as soon as Spock finished, and with a slight nod, Spock went back to the inside, completely unaware that a pair of familiar, blue eyes have been watching him attentively.

Jim let out a breath that he wasn’t even aware that he was holding.

Fuck. Spock, his Spock, now Principal of Starfleet Academy.

He was still as gorgeous and awesome as ever, and now he even had a sense of humor. Not that it was new, Jim had always known that Spock had a really awesome sense of dry humor, but back then he was the only one to realize that in the Vulcan. But now, apparently everyone realized it.

No wonder the whole Academy voted for him. Being as awesome as he was, Spock probably found a new mate already.

Jim took a large gulp of his wine as he thought about it, bitterly.

Spock had been the first male Jim had been with, and he was exactly what Jim needed: caring, protective, trustful, and not to mention his high stamina. After Spock had left, Jim had also taken a few lovers, but none of them came close to Spock. With a female, Jim had to take the dominant role, and although it was nice, he sometimes wanted to be taken care of in a while, and she couldn’t do that. With a male… Jim also had to take the dominant role, because Jim didn’t trust anyone to take care of him like that.

With Spock, Jim had had a feeling of complete trust, that he could give his life to Spock and the Vulcan would protect it even above his own. No one else came close to give Jim that same feeling. No one. And fuck if he missed it. He had been missing it for the past 5 years, and he had tried so many times to contact Spock, to say that he was sorry, that he was the biggest asshole in the universe, but of course, Spock blocked him.

Suddenly feeling a little claustrophobic, Jim stood up and walked to the balcony, intending to get some fresh air. The night seemed pretty nice, with the moon shining beautifully.

But that was not caught Jim’s attention.

Sitting on the balcony was a small child, a boy, around 4 or 5 years old, wearing a black jacket and black pants with brown shoes, reading something on his PADD. The boy had black hair and…

Jim took a deep breath when he looked at the little boy’s ears.

They had pointed tips.

Could it be… But it couldn’t be, right? The boy was 4 years old at least, so… Did it mean he was born only a year after Spock left the Enterprise? Meaning he was conceived around the time Spock left?

But Jim shook his head immediately. He knew Spock, and Spock was far from the asshole Jim was. Spock probably didn’t even know what cheating meant, let alone actually did it.

But since Vulcan’s destruction… Vulcans were so rare and most of them were living on New Vulcan. As far as Jim knew, Spock was the only one not living on New Vulcan. And so this boy, unmistakably a Vulcan, must live with Spock. But he didn’t have to be Spock’s son, right? He could just be a relative, visiting Earth for a while.

Feeling reassured, Jim approached the little Vulcan boy.

“Hey, kiddo.” – Jim tried putting on a grin – “Where are your parents? Why are you here alone?”

The boy looked up at Jim to see who was talking to him, and Jim’s breath caught as he caught sight of the boy’s eyes.

They were blue. A beautiful shade of blue, like sapphire.

“ _Your eyes resembles sapphire, Jim. I know it is illogical to have preferences, but I think blue is becoming my favorite color._ ” – the memory of Spock gazing into Jim’s eyes with such warmth and love as they laid on their bed together appeared in his mind, and Jim had to shake his head to clear it away.

“My father is currently inside, attending the ceremony and receiving his award. Although, at this time, I calculate that he has already received his award.” – the boy replied, his eyes staring at Jim curiously. But Jim didn’t notice, because…

Father? Award?

“Who… Who’s your father?” – Jim gulped, asking the question that he didn’t really want to know the answer.

“Commander Spock, who is also the Principal of Starfleet Academy, where I am going to study when I grow up.” – the boy replied with barely hidden pride, and that made Jim close his eyes before giving a small smile. Oh well, apparently Spock had moved on, and moved on pretty fast. Jim wasn’t as significant as he thought he was.

“You are Uncle Jim.” – the kid said again, making Jim snap his eyes open wide – “My name is Soren, it is my pleasure to finally meet you.”

“How…” – Jim asked, eyes wide – “How do you know who I am?”

“Father has a hologram of you in his bedroom, which he places on his bedside table and never turns off.” – the Vulcan boy said, making Jim’s eyes widen even more – “He refuses to tell me much about you, just that your name is Jim and you are close to him. I had believed you to be a deceased friend of his, but apparently, you are not.”

“Your… Your mother doesn’t mind that your father has a hologram of someone else in the room?” – Jim asked, clearly still surprised. And shocked.

Spock kept a hologram of Jim next to him every day?

“I… do not have a mother.” – Soren replied, his eyes downcast – “Father says I was conceived from an experiment that allows the sperm of two males to combine into an embryo. I…” – the boy looked up at the sky – “I do not know who my other father is, as father never speaks of him. I do not even know his name, how he looks like. I only know that I have his eyes, because they are the only things I have that is different from my father. And that he is in space, exploring areas that no one has gone before. He sounds amazing.”

Jim felt his heart and his throat beginning to constrict as he began to take in what the boy was talking about.

Eyes? Space? Never spoke of? 2 fathers? Could it be… It couldn’t be, right? But…

Right that moment, Soren’s PADD chimed, signaling a new message. The boy picked up at took a look before standing up.

“Father is finished and wishes to go home. I am leaving now, Uncle Jim.” – Soren held up his hand in the ta’al. – “Live long and prosper. Are you staying here for the foreseeable future?”

Jim only managed a weak nod as he couldn’t believe in his voice to reply.

“This is fortunate.” – Soren didn’t smile, but Jim could tell that he was beaming on the inside as he pulled out a small notebook and a pen, writing down something and tore the page away before handing it to Jim.

“This is my PADD address. Please send me a message if you have time, and we can meet up again. I wish to know more about you and your relationship with father. Goodnight, Uncle Jim.” – the boy nodded before quickly went inside.

Jim stared at the small piece of paper in his hand before tucking it carefully inside his pocket and quickly knelt down on the floor, searching frantically around the area where Soren just sat a while ago. His hands were shaking slightly, but Jim didn’t care.

A few minutes later, Jim was staring at a black hair that he just picked up from the ground.

It couldn’t be, could it?

***

Jim was pacing back and forth in the hallway at Starfleet Hospital. What the fuck was taking them so long?

Suddenly, the door slid open and a nurse peeked her head outside.

“Mr. Kirk?” – she called.

“It’s me.” – Jim quickly approached her.

“Doctor Brendan is waiting for you.” – she smiled and stepped aside for Jim to enter, but Jim didn’t need it as he rushed inside as quick as possible.

“What’s the results, doctor?” – Jim asked immediately as soon as his eyes laid on the doctor, who was sitting at the table. He was a nice, middle-aged man who seemed pretty startled as Jim practically ran inside, but his surprise disappeared very quick as he regained Jim with a strange expression.

“Your results are back, Mr. Kirk.” – he replied calmly as he took a look at his file – “According to our tests, and we have done every test possible per your request, the hair you brought with you indeed contains your DNA.” – the doctor looked up at Jim – “It belonged to your son, Mr. Kirk.”

Jim let out a breath.

Fuck.

His son. His and Spock’s son. Their son.


	3. Chapter 3

Jim stood nervously under the huge building that consisted of a large number of apartments, including Spock’s. He had been having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that he actually had a son. A handsome, part Vulcan son. With Spock.

Jim had been debating with himself for the past few days whether or not to contact the little kid again. He didn’t know how many times he had looked at the small piece of paper and opened his PADD to contact him, only to shut it down and throw it somewhere nearby.

But fuck, the kid was his own son. His and Spock’s son.

Of all the people that he had ever had sex with, Jim had to have a kid with the one that he thought the chance was 0.

And he still didn’t understand how the hell that happened. Okay, the kid said something about an experiment, but as far as he remembered, Spock had never asked for his…sperm. Yeah, he would have remembered if that happened. So how the hell? Probably because they had sex in Spock’s labs when Spock was still on the Enterprise?

But fuck, he didn’t care about it right now, because he had A SON. He finally decided to contact the little boy again, and the kid picked up after about, what, 2 rings? Gosh, the way he talked was like a mini version of Spock, properly and voice showing no hint of emotions, but that was to others. To Jim, he could detect the eagerness in the kid’s voice when he agreed to meet Jim again.

And fuck if that didn’t remind him of Spock.

Jim turned around when he heard the door to the building slide open, revealing Soren, calmly walking out. He was wearing a white shirt with black jacket outside (since it was a little cold), and black pants and black shoes. His hair was cut short and was styled the same way as regular human boys instead of the traditional Vulcan haircut, and Jim had to admit, it actually suits him better that way. His face was all stern and showing no hint of emotion as he walked towards Jim.

Yup, definitely a mini-Spock.

“Good morning, Uncle Jim.” – Soren said as he approached Jim and held out his hand. Jim stared wide-eyed at the kid’s outstretched hand, still wondering what he wanted to do.

“I believe humans often shake hands when they want to become better acquainted, is it not true?” – Soren asked again when Jim didn’t move to take his hand.

“But…” – Jim looked into the kid’s blue eyes, and fuck, if that was how his eyes actually looked then Jim knew why so many people were attracted to him – “You’re a Vulcan, right? Aren’t Vulcans not supposed to touch others?”

“Father made me special gloves that feel and look like regular skin, but can keep me warm and prevent direct touching.” – Soren said with a raised eyebrow – “He said that it is safer for me this way, as I have not perfected my mental trainings yet. I can take off the gloves when I raise my shields properly, so as long as I am wearing these, I am free to touch anyone. However, I do not usually touch people. You are one of the few exceptions because you are special.” – with that, he glanced pointedly as his still outstretched hand.

Jim couldn’t do anything else but to grin and shake his hands. Now he knew why Soren seemed so proud of Spock.

“Do you want to go anywhere?” – Jim asked as he glanced around. He didn’t have much experience with kids, much less Vulcan kids, and he didn’t know where Soren wanted to go.

“I am thinking of going to the central park. We can go for a walk and just talk, if you are amenable.” – Soren said, looking up at Jim.

“Oh, sure. Okay.” – Jim grinned. Of course.

***

“Father was surprised when I asked him if I can join you for today. It was the first time I have ever seen him display his emotion so openly.” – Soren commented on their walk, which make Jim stop abruptly.

“Wait, what?” – Jim asked, wide-eyed – “Spock knows you’re spending time with me?”

“I may be a Vulcan, but I am only 4 years old. My father has to know who I am spending time with.” – Soren answered, shooting him a look that said ‘isn’t that so obvious’.

“And… And he agreed?” – Jim gulped. Spock…actually agreed to let Soren meet him?

“Why would he not?” – Soren turned and looked up at him questioningly – “Is there something I do not know? I assumed you and father are close, because he has a hologram of you in his bedroom, so I found it odd that you refused to come up to our apartment. He was home when we left and I had thought you might want to greet him.”

“Err… We…” – Jim stuttered. How the hell was he supposed to explain to Soren without giving himself away? – “We had some kind of disagreement, but yeah, we’re still close. I’ll see him when our disagreement is resolved.”

Luckily for him, Soren seemed satisfied with the answer and didn’t ask anything further.

***

Jim felt like shit as he dropped himself on the sofa.

Soren was… amazing.

Super smart. Awesome sense of dry humor. Nice. Polite. Proper. Everything Spock was, plus he was an adorable kid.

He never thought he would actually enjoy the company of a 4 year old kid.

They didn’t talk much about their lives, because basically they still just met. Instead, they talked about Science, mostly Physics. And Jim was amazed that Soren possessed a very good knowledge of Science. Well, most of the things he knew were only on the most basic level, but that was still so impressive, considering he was only 4. And he was eager to learn more, asking questions after questions when he found out that Jim was, indeed, not stupid.

Fuck, this was what Jim missed out on? An amazing, super smart, super adorable son that he had thought he never wanted? And why did Spock agree to let Soren go with Jim?

Jim couldn’t help but thought about his last night with Spock, when he had told Spock to go screw someone else, and felt his gut twist. He felt like the biggest asshole in the world, and he just wanted to curl up into a ball of shame. He had to try his best to put on a regular, carefree expression during his little…trip with his son, but as soon as he got home, he couldn’t help but felt so lonely as he took in the big apartment that he was the only one occupying it. Soren was going back to Spock, and they had each other.

Jim was… alone.

Jim didn’t know how long he had been standing there in the living room, completely unable to do anything. He was vaguely aware that he was hungry, and he should probably go cook some dinner, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. However, a ring on his doorbell snapped him out of his state. Jim turned around and slowly walked to his door, frowning as he couldn’t imagine who would know he was staying there. The Enterprise’s senior crew and Pike only knew which building Jim was staying in, but not the exact apartment. Bones was the only one to know, but he was back visiting Joanna. So who could it be?

So Jim opened the door, prepared to apologize to someone who probably rang the doorbell of the wrong house, only to come face to face with a familiar stranger that he thought he would never have the chance to talk to again.

“Spock?” – Jim whispered as he took in the tall Vulcan standing right in front of him. Spock still looked the same after all those years, but instead of the hidden amused expression that he had reserved only for Jim, the expression that Jim adored so much, he was looking at Jim with the same emotionless expression when he was regarding everything else. His posture were stiff, his hands clasped behind his back, not the relaxed posture with his hands at his side back when they were still together.

Like Jim was no one special to Spock anymore. Jim was like everybody else, insignificant.

And fuck, it hurt. It hurt so bad. 5 years, and Jim couldn’t get over Spock, and when they finally met again, Spock was looking at him like he was a stranger. Jim felt his heart and his throat constrict, seeing Spock like this. He wanted to wrap his arms, and legs, around the Vulcan and never let him go again. He wanted to whisper into Spock’s ears that he was wrong, to wipe this expression off Spock’s face, but…

Knowing such actions would never be welcomed, Jim gulped audibly. Trying to ignore the big lump in his throat, Jim smiled slightly.

“Would you like to come in?” – he said, all the while stepping aside. Spock’s eyes followed Jim and they were staring at each other for a few seconds before Spock turned his gaze straightforward and walked inside, still not saying anything.

Jim swallowed one more time once Spock was already in the middle of his living room before closing the door and turned to Spock. He walked to the table and poured out 2 glasses of water, trying to make conversation.

“So… How have you been?” – Jim asked with a light tone, trying to brighten up the mood, but Spock was still not looking at him, and he didn’t say anything back, which make Jim cringe. They stood there in silence, Jim looking helplessly, desperately at Spock, while Spock just continued to stare out of the window.

Finally, after what Jim felt like centuries, Spock spoke up.

“Why did you do that?”

Jim was so surprised at Spock’s voice that the question didn’t register in his head immediately. Spock’s voice sounded so… distant. It was still the same deep voice, but it was the voice he used to talk to strangers, showing no hint of emotions, and not the deep voice that was once full of affection and warmth he reserved only for Jim.

And Jim knew it was his fault, that he brought this upon himself, but fuck it still hurt. It hurt so much that it took him a while for the question to register in his mind, and once it did, Jim had to blink a few times.

“Do what? What do you mean?”

And that made Spock turn around to face Jim. His gaze was hard and cold, still it burned into Jim’s eyes. Spock’s gaze had always felt like he could see through Jim’s everything, but Jim used to enjoy it because before, it was something like “I understand, you don’t need to tell me, I understand and I’ll comfort you”. But right now…

It made Jim feel so vulnerable, so exposed, and Jim didn’t like the feeling. Spock wasn’t supposed to make him feel that way, damn it!

“Why did you do it? Why did you contact Soren?” – Spock replied his question with an added clarification, and Jim had to blink a few times before the questions registered in his mind.

“What do you mean? He’s my son too, of course I…”

“No, he is not.” – Spock cut Jim off – “I am listed as his only parent. He only has one father. And as I recall, you said you did not want him. So no, he is not your son.”

And fuck, if that didn’t feel like a thousand swords just stabbed right through Jim’s heart then Jim didn’t know what would.

“Spock, come on.” – Jim said with a fake, slight laugh – “You can’t be serio…”

“You were not the one practically living in the laboratory for 9 months just to personally monitor his development because you did not trust those scientist not to make his readings go off the charts.” – Spock cut Jim off again, his gaze diverting to the table – “You were not the one holding him in your arms when he was finally delivered. You were not the one staying up for countless nights when he caught some serious illnesses. You were not the one trying to teach him to speak, and was not there when he hugged you and called you “father” for the first time. You were not there when he approached you and said that he wanted to become like you when he grew up, because you were the most amazing father in the universe. So no.” – Spock turned his gaze back to Jim – “You are not his father, and you do not get to claim him as your son just because he has half of your DNA. For all I know, it could easily be someone else’s DNA. It is not difficult to obtain, and you once told me to “go screw someone else”, so you can just think about it that way.”

"Spock..." - Jim said, desperately - "I know I was wrong, and you have no idea how much I hate myself for that. But really, I'm sorry. I was a total asshole, but I was wrong. Please give me a chance to fix all this. Please."

"Fix? Then what?" - Spock raised his voice - "Fix all this, only to leave again when the Enterprise is finished refitting?"

Jim's eyes widened. Fuck, he didn't even think about it. The Enterprise, he needed to.

"Your dream is space and has always been space, as you once told me." - Spock said again, his voice back to normal level - "My dream used to be the same, but it changed 5 years ago. My dream now, is him. And do you know what his dream is?" - Spock diverted his gaze again, lowering his voice even more - "To find the second father that I refuse to tell him about."

Spock's words literally felt like a punch to Jim's guts, making all his breath leave him at once.

"What am I supposed to tell him anyway?" - Spock said again, still not looking at Jim - "That his father is not here because he does not want him?"

Jim shook his head vigorously as his vision began to get blurry.

"No. Please, that's not..."

"It does not matter." - Spock said again - "I see how much you love space, having seen you fight so hard to keep your position as Captain of the Enterprise, and I do not blame you. Everyone has different goals, different dreams, and I respect yours. However, I came here" - Spock looked at Jim again - "to ask you to respect mine. I will not forbid you to spend time with Soren, and I will not forbid him to spend time with you. I am not that cruel. However, I want to ask you..."

Spock took a deep breath.

"...to not get attached to him. And do not let him get attached to you. If you reveal your identity as his father, only to leave again, I will be left to pick up my own son's broken heart, and I most certainly do not want it to happen."

With that, Spock began to walk towards the door, clearly to leave. But as he reached it, he stopped. He didn't turn around to face Jim, but he spoke up again.

"What I said are by no means orders. I cannot tell you what to do, so they were merely requests, which you can choose to carry out, or ignore. But if, you still have any feelings for me, and if you have any feelings for him at all, then please do not hurt us again, especially him." - Spock took a deep breath - "I have experienced it, and I do not want to experience it again, and I most certainly do not want him to have to go through it. I would rather he never know about his other father, than he knows about you, and finds out that you have not been there with him all this time because you do not want him.”

“Spock…” – Jim said, barely above a whisper, watching helplessly as Spock opened the door, walked outside, and shut it again. He fell onto his couch, only vaguely aware of tears streaming down his face, because the pain in his heart was too much for him. Jim didn’t know how long he had been sitting there before he finally decided to stand up to go inside his bedroom, to pick up his PADD and make a call.

He had to fix this.

“I would like to accept the promotion.” – Jim said as soon as Admiral Archer’s face appeared on the screen, making the elderly Admiral’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Not long ago you were still fighting to keep your position, why…” – he was at a loss of words.

“I…” – Jim hesitated, before a small smile appeared on his lips as he replied with a calm and stern voice – “I have found what I love even more than the Enterprise, and I’m staying with them.”


	4. Chapter 4

“Father is attending a conference on Vulcan next weekend.” – Soren said as they sat together in the restaurant they just had dinner in and were now enjoying their desserts – “But he cannot take me along with him because he will be occupied most of the time. So he has posted an advertisement looking for someone to look after me when he is gone.”

 

“Hmm, sounds fun.” – Jim replied as he bit into his cake, grinning – “Hopefully he’ll find someone who can actually answer all your questions like I do. Wow, this cake is good!” – Jim exclaimed as he took another bite and put the cake back down onto the dish and used a napkin to wipe at his mouth. Seeing that Soren didn’t say anything back, he looked up at the little Vulcan boy to find him shooting Jim with a pointed look, his eyebrow raised.

 

And that was when everything clicked in his mind.

 

“Wait, you want ME to be your caretaker?” – Jim exclaimed, wide-eyed as he pointed at himself – “ME?”

 

“It is only logical.” – Soren replied calmly as he took a spoonful of his own cake (he refused to use his hand, much to Jim’s amusement) – “I get along with you even better than my own classmates. Moreover, I trust you, and that is the most important.”

 

“But…” – Jim gulped, and had to take a drink before continuing – “What about Spock? What if he doesn’t agree? Have I mentioned that we’re having some kind of disagreement right now?”

 

“I am certain that he will put my safety above everything else when it comes to hiring a sitter for me.” – Soren replied matter-of-factly – “He might be having a disagreement with you, but I have no doubt that he entrusts you with my well-being. Otherwise, he would never let me spend time with you like this. Moreover, since he is finding someone to look after me, he will have to consider my own choice.”

 

“Oh, okay. Cool, I’ll do it.” – Jim nodded, and Soren seemed satisfied, which made Jim grin. Fuck, he was going to stay with his son for 2 whole days, that’s a whole new level! This was going to be a huge opportunity for him to prove to Spock that he had changed, that he could be trusted again. That he really, really wanted to fix this.

 

“Very well.” – Soren nodded as he took another spoon – “The interview is in 2 days. You should prepare your resume when you get home tonight.”

 

“Interview? Resume?” – Jim asked as he stared at Soren incredulously – “You can’t be serious, right?”

 

“There will be other candidates as well, Uncle Jim.” – Soren said as he wiped his mouth on the napkin – “You will have to apply like everybody else.”

 

Jim had never wanted to hit his head on the table and groan out loud so much.

 

And fuck, hearing his own son calling him “Uncle” hurt. So much. He knew it was his fault, that he deserved it, but fuck, it still hurt.

 

***

 

Jim was feeling really ridiculous sitting in the hallway leading to Spock’s office. He felt as if everyone there was trying not to stare at him. Well, Spock’s office was located on Starfleet’s ground, and apparently Jim was also popular, especially in Starfleet, so everyone probably knew him. And they were also probably wondering why the new Admiral Kirk was here, applying to be a baby sitter.

 

According to Soren, every candidate would have to take a number. When their number was called, the candidate would enter the room, where Spock and Soren sat. Spock would look over the candidate’s resume, while Soren would do the interview, and they would leave. They would receive a message a few days later telling them if they were accepted or not. And also according to Soren, Jim would be accepted so he didn’t need to worry.

 

But still, Jim was feeling pretty annoyed at all the eyes that kept wandering to him every once in a while. Like, really annoyed.

 

Luckily, his number got called. He sighed in relief as he stood up, finally away from those curious eyes that he was sure were following him. But as he approached the door and was about to open it, he realized his hands were slightly trembling, and for a moment he almost turned around and ran out of the building. But he had to do it. He couldn’t be a coward anymore, and if he wanted to fix everything then he needed to do this.

 

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the button, and the door slid open.

 

Jim saw Spock look up as soon as the door opened, and he saw the Vulcan’s eyes widened slightly before going back to the original, indifferent expression as when Jim slowly walked in and sat down on the chair. Jim took one look into Spock’s eyes, and the way Spock’s expression was completely closed off to him, the way he was treating Jim just like some kind of stranger made Jim feel like he just received a punch right in his guts.

 

On the bright side, Soren seemed satisfied (as satisfied as a Vulcan can look) as soon as he saw Jim entered. So Jim took a deep breath. Okay, he needed to be patient. He couldn’t rush things. He had to do this.

 

So he put on a big grin (which required a lot of effort).

 

“Hi.” – he spoke up, breaking the silence that had been going on.

 

Gosh, he felt like a brand new college graduate applying for his first job.

 

However, Spock stared at him with the same unreadable expression for a while before replying.

 

“What is your name?”

 

Which, in Jim’s mind, was totally not how he imagined Spock’s first words would be.

 

He stared right back at the Vulcan incredulously, who still remained calm and unaffected by two set of blue eyes staring at him (yes, Soren was also staring at him in disbelief, too).

 

“You… You can’t be serious, right?” – Jim said after a while, still unable to believe what just happened.

 

“You are a candidate, and it is my job to make sure the candidate is trustworthy enough for me to entrust my son’s well-being with. In order for me to do that, I will have to do a background check on every candidate to ensure they are suitable for this job. Therefore, the first thing I require from every candidate is a name.” – Spock replied without missing a beat, still calm and unreadable.

 

Jim gulped. Oh well, he deserved this one coming. Still, it fucking hurt.

 

“James… James Kirk.” – Jim replied in a not-very-loud voice – “But I prefer to be called Jim.”

 

“Very well, Mr. Kirk.” – Spock said pointedly, and Jim felt his stomach sink at the Vulcan’s words. Spock typed something on his PADD for a while before nodding at the files Jim was holding in his hands.

 

“May I see your resume, please?”

 

Startled, Jim quickly handed the files he was holding to Spock, who took it gently and Jim couldn’t help but notice that the Vulcan made sure their hands didn’t even come close to touching, before standing up and nodding at Soren - “You may begin your interview now.” – and promptly left the room.

 

Jim and Soren stared after Spock as he quickly entered his own code and disappeared into a different door that led to somewhere else that was not the hallway before turning towards each other. They stared at each other for a while before Soren raised an eyebrow.

 

“I do not know what kind of disagreement you have with father, but I do not think it is easy to resolve.” – the little Vulcan boy said with amusement and a hint of… sympathy? in his eyes.

 

“Yeah…” – Jim said as he let his eyes wandered to the door Spock just disappeared into – “And I can’t really blame him, since it was all my fault. I’m still trying to figure out how to resolve it though.”

 

“Father is not the type to hold a grudge against anyone, I am certain he will forgive you soon.” – Soren said with such certainty that it made Jim smile a little bit – “Besides, he holds you in high regards, so it should not be too difficult for you.”

 

Jim grinned back at Soren, while on the inside he was feeling his guts twisting and everything breaking to pieces, and he couldn’t ignore a voice that was whispering to him ‘he holds you in his high regards, so he’ll never let you come close to him again, in case you hurt him one more time’ and Jim had to shake his head vigorously to chase the voice away. He met Soren’s curious gaze and grinned again before glancing around the room. This was probably not actually Spock’s office though, since apart from the table Jim and Soren were currently sitting at, there was literally nothing else.

 

“So, does Spock leave you alone with every candidate after he’s taken their resume?” – Jim asked.

 

“Of course not.” – Soren answered, leveling Jim with a look that said clearly said ‘are you stupid or what’ – “He remains here as I interview them, so that he can assess the level of compatibility between us. Moreover, he has to stay here in case someone submitted a fake application in order to sneak in here and kidnap me.”

 

“Oh, right…” – Jim said lamely, suddenly feeling so dumb.

 

“So that is why I am certain that he will choose you.” – Soren said confidently – “He may have a disagreement with you, but he trusts you enough to leave you alone with me. Which he almost never does with anyone.”

 

And that made Jim’s eyes widen in realization. Yeah, why didn’t he think of that? Spock may still be mad at him, but he still trusted Jim, right? Jim needed to use it to his advantage and made sure not to fuck this up and destroy that last chance too.

 

Jim and Soren talked a while, about their usual topics and quickly got carried away. Jim had to admit, he absolutely LOVED spending time with his son, and he couldn’t help the guilt that kept eating at him for saying that he didn’t want him all those years ago.

 

Fuck, as if Spock wasn’t enough to deal with. How the hell was Jim going to tell Soren that he was the second father?

 

A while later (Jim wasn’t sure how much later, since he kinda lost track of time) Spock reopened the door and walked back inside, still the same unreadable expression on his face. He glanced at Jim briefly before turning his gaze towards Soren, a gaze much warmer and full of affection, making Jim gulp.

 

He used to receive that gaze too. Used to.

 

“Are you finished yet?” – Spock asked Soren with a warm, affectionate, gentle voice, and Jim felt his guts twist again.

 

Spock also used to talk to him that way. Used to.

 

Soren turned to raise an eyebrow at Jim, and Jim nodded. They could talk another time.

 

“Yes, father.” – Soren nodded at Spock.

 

“Very well.” – Spock nodded back before turning towards Jim again, and his gaze had already turned back to the usual cold, detached, hard gaze when it was subjected at Jim – “Thank you for your time, Mr. Kirk. I shall contact you as soon as possible.”

 

“Oh, okay. Thanks.” – Jim said as he scratched the back of his head and stood up – “Hope to hear from you soon.”

 

With that he turned around and quickly walked out of the door as soon as possible. As soon as the door closed behind him, he leant back against it and took a deep breath.

 

Fuck, it was harder than he thought.

 

Suddenly aware of all the curious eyes looking at him, Jim quickly pushed himself away from the door and walked quickly out of the building.

 

 

***

 

“ _Greetings, Mr. Kirk._

_Based on your resume and your interview, as well as Soren’s personal preference, I inform you that you have been chosen to be Soren’s caretaker for the period of two days, from May 25 to May 27. Please show up at the given address at exactly 17.00 tomorrow, May 21 so that I can give you a guide at how to take care of him properly, as well as what is and is not allowed in our household._

_Failure to show up on time will result in the termination of this offer._

_Sincerely,_

_S’chn T’gai Spock_ ”

 

Jim stared at the message he just received with his eyes wide.

 

Oh well, guess he saw that coming. Soren did say that he would be chosen, though Jim had a feeling Soren also played a huge part in Spock making this decision.

 

That didn’t make it any easier for him though. He had dreaded this mail, dreaded the way Spock would sound so formal and detached, and there it was. Each of Spock’s words felt like a knife stabbing right through his chest.

 

Picking up pieces of his broken heart on the floor, Jim smiled anyway. At least, he got his chance. And he sure as hell wouldn’t fuck it up. He would show Spock, that he had changed, that he could be trusted one more time.


	5. Chapter 5

Jim stood outside of Spock’s apartment, aware that his palms were sweating heavily and he had to wipe his hands against his pants every once in a while. He had never been up to Spock’s apartment before. Every time Soren invited him, Jim always found an excuse to refuse. He didn’t think he was ready to face Spock again, and he didn’t think Spock wanted him there either. The apartment was their home – Spock and Soren’s home – and Jim didn’t think he would be welcome there anytime soon, so he always refused Soren’s invitation to come up. However…

Jim was snapped out of his thoughts when the door slid open to reveal Spock, dressed in his traditional black Vulcan robe, with a PADD on his hand. They looked at each other for a while before Spock cleared his throat and moved aside, letting Jim go inside. Jim nodded slightly before taking one step inside and took off his shoes before moving further inside the apartment, finally taking in Spock’s apartment for the first time.

Despite knowing that Spock was actually very well – off and could probably afford all the best stuff, Jim wasn’t really surprised when he noticed that the apartment was pretty simply decorated. However, the apartment was very clean and everything was neatly put in its place, which was not something to be expected from a single father with his son. However, Spock was a Vulcan, so there was hardly any surprise there. Jim chuckled. The apartment was very similar to Spock’s own quarters on the Enterprise, back when they were still…

Jim shook his head, cutting his own thought process. He couldn’t go there. He turned around, only to notice that Spock was staring at him with a strange, unreadable look on his face. They continued to stare at each other for a few more seconds before Spock turned his head to his side, breaking their eye contact.

“As you can see, my apartment does not have much, so it should not be difficult for you to… navigate around.” – Spock said, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah. It’s only 2 days, right?” – Jim smiled – “I’ll manage. And don’t worry, I’ll take good care of him.”

“Of that, I have no doubt.” – Spock mumbled, his voice low, but Jim could still hear it, and he didn’t know what to feel about it. He didn’t know if he should be happy that Spock still trusted him, or sad because that was probably the only thing Spock still trusted him with. But then the sound of another door sliding open from further inside the apartment caught their attention. Both of them turned towards that direction to see Soren walking into the living room. The little Vulcan boy’s eyes lit up as soon as he saw Jim, but his expression quickly morphed back into the normal stoic look, which Jim had come to adore more and more. But as Soren approached them, he saw the suitcase on the floor near the sofa, and his expression immediately dropped, and this time he didn’t even bother to hide it.

“Are you leaving, father?” – Soren asked as he came to stand in front of Spock, looking up at his father with his big blue eyes.

“Yes, my shuttle leaves in two hours, so I…” – Spock began, but he never got the chance to finish as Soren immediately hugged him as tightly as a four year old Vulcan boy could.

“I do not want you to go.” – Soren said, clearly trying his best to keep his voice steady even though tears were already beginning to trickle out of his eyes – “I have never been without you for more than 6 hours and 42 minutes. I… I want to go with you.”

Sighing, Spock picked his son up into his arms.

“We have already talked about this. You will be taken better care of here than on Vulcan with me. Mr. Kirk… Jim here will take care of you just as well as I do, and I will be gone for only two days.”

“There will be no one that could take care of me as well as you do.” – Soren mumbled into his father’s neck, but still, Jim could hear it, and he had to bite down on his lips, hard. Meanwhile, Spock didn’t say anything else, but he place his fingers on his son’s meld points instead and initiated a quick meld, which only lasted for a little longer than 2 minutes, but it was enough to calm Soren down a little bit. Spock then set Soren back down on the floor.

“He will.” – Spock nodded towards Jim, before touching his two fingers to Soren’s cheek and turned around to pick up his suitcase. As he got to the door, he turned around once more and look at Jim, directly into his eyes.

“Take good care of him.” – was all he said, and Jim gulped before nodding, not trusting his voice to speak.

“Bye, father.” – Soren said, his hand forming the ta’al, and Spock mirrored his son’s action before finally leaving. Jim and Soren just stood in the living room, staring at the closed door for a while before Jim finally managed to gather himself and turned to Soren, grinning wildly.

“So, ice cream?”

***

"This is the first time I have someone else to watch a movie with." - Soren said as he finished another spoon of ice cream, midway through ‘The Incredibles’.

“Really?” – Jim turned to face him – “Spock doesn’t watch movies with you?”

“No.” – Soren shook his head – “Father always says that movies are illogical and therefore, he does not watch any. However, he does not forbid me to watch them.”

Jim smiled. Spock seemed to be the perfect father in Soren’s eyes, that was for sure. He remembered when they were still together, Spock would very often say that movies “are very illogical and I do not see anything I can possibly learn from them, Jim”. Yet, he still sat through a movie with Jim every once in a while if Jim whined for long enough.

Jim gulped. Probably watching movies reminded Spock of Jim and that was why Spock didn’t want to watch movies with Soren.

“So, what about you?” – Jim asked his son again, grinning – “What do you think of movies?”

“I find movies illogical, yet fascinating.” – Soren replied, and Jim let out a small laugh. Exactly what a mini-Spock would say.

***

Jim was lying in bed, trying to sleep, but he couldn’t. His mind kept going back to Spock, to Soren, to that night when he lost everything that could have been his. There hadn’t been any day passing by that Jim didn’t berate himself for what he did. If only he hadn’t gone out drinking that night, if only he hadn’t thought with his dick that night, then all of this never would have happened. He would still be with Spock, and Soren would be their son. Jim could have Soren sleeping next to him right this moment, and Jim would be able to hug his son tightly to his chest or kiss him on his head, on that silky black hair. Jim didn’t even know how many times he had to refrain himself from gathering Soren into his arms and giving him a tight hug.

It was all his fault, Jim knew it. He sighed. It didn’t mean it was any less painful though.

A slight knock on his door snapped Jim out of his thought.

“Yes?” – Jim said, sitting up on his bed. The door slid open and Soren walked in. The boy stopped at the end of Jim’s bed and took a few breaths before he looked directly at Jim.

“May I… sleep here with you tonight?” – Soren asked, his voice remarkably smaller than his usual voice – “I do not feel… secure without my father here.”

Jim’s heart broke a little, but he managed to hide it well behind his smile.

“Sure. Get in.” – Jim moved a little further to the outer edge of the bed, letting Soren climb to the inside of the bed. It took them a while to get comfortable on the bed, but Jim could feel that the little Vulcan boy was feeling better.

“Better?” – Jim still asked.

“Yes.” – Soren replied, his voice back to the normal level – “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” – Jim smiled, and before he knew it, Jim was already having an arm over Soren’s torso. As his brain caught up, he felt dread all over, expecting Soren to tense and just shrug his arm off, but instead, the little Vulcan went willingly into Jim’s embrace and snuggled close to Jim.

“I do not know you very well, but somehow I feel… drawn to you.” – Soren mumbled – “I find you… trustworthy.”

“Thanks, kiddo.” – Jim smiled. It wasn’t exactly what he wished for, but close enough.

Sleep came pretty easily afterwards.

***

2 days went by fast, and very soon, it was the final night of them together. Spock would be returning tomorrow morning. So, Jim decided to take Soren out to a small restaurant that he promised the little Vulcan “has the best ice cream in town”, and Soren seemed to agree with Jim as he was already on his third cup and wasn’t showing any sign of stopping. Luckily, it was an ‘all you can eat’ restaurant, so Jim didn’t have to pay any extra for the ice cream. He called a waitress over for the bill, and as he opened his wallet and pulled his card out, a small picture fell from his wallet onto the floor, right under Soren’s seat.

“No, Soren! Don’t…” – Jim said in panic, trying to stop Soren from picking it up, but it was too late as Soren had already picked it up. The little Vulcan boy frowned as he didn’t understand why Jim wouldn’t want him to pick up the small photo, but then his eyes widened as he saw what the photo was.

It was taken during a shore leave on Earth during the five-year mission, when Jim and Spock were still together. They were at a festival when they came across one of those photo booth from the old times, and after much persuasion, Spock finally agreed to take a few photos with Jim. And the one that Jim kept in his wallet…

…was the one that had Spock looking all stoic and serious, while Jim had his arms over Spock’s shoulder from behind and was kissing the Vulcan’s cheek affectionately.

Jim always kept it in his wallet, even after Spock had left the Enterprise. It was the reason Jim could never maintain any relationship for all, because everyone broke up with him when they saw that Jim still kept the photo in his wallet.

And now, Jim was watching helplessly as Soren just stared at the photo, his cup of ice cream forgotten completely.

“Father has a hologram of you in his bedroom, and you have this photo in your wallet.” – Soren said without looking away from the photo. The little Vulcan boy had already figured out what it meant, but he was having a hard time believing it. He kept staring at the photo for a while longer before he finally looked up into Jim’s eyes.

“You are my other father, are you not?”


	6. Chapter 6

The drive home was quiet. Too quiet.

Soren just sat in the passenger seat, refusing to utter any word. Jim was also driving in silence, stealing glances at his son every once in a while, but the little Vulcan boy maintained his gaze straight ahead, never looking at Jim even once. And Jim was at a complete loss of what to do about it.

Soon after, they reached the apartment building. As soon as the car came to a stop, Soren unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car without even waiting for Jim, making a beeline towards the elevator, and Jim had to almost run to catch up with his son. They remained quiet all the way up to the apartment, but as soon as they were inside, Jim couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Soren, wait!” – Jim called out to his son, who was walking straight towards his bedroom.

“Yes?” – Soren stopped, but he didn’t turn around. His voice was flat, completely void of any emotion, making Jim feel even more helpless.

“Can we… Can we just… talk?” – Jim asked, feeling desperate. He had planned everything carefully, that first he would win Soren over, then he would slowly win Spock back too, but right now, everything only seems to be falling apart.

“There is nothing to talk about.” – Soren replied coldly – “Now, if you will excuse me, I am retreating to my room for meditation and sleep. Good night.”

And Soren continued to walk towards his room, shutting the door behind him.

Leaving Jim standing alone in the living room, watching as his hope shattering apart.

Sighing, Jim sat down on the floor and ran his hand through his blond hair. Looking up at the ceiling, Jim let out a harsh chuckle.

It was over.

***

Jim was drinking coffee when he heard the front door slid open. Spock was home, punctual as ever. Jim glanced towards the direction of Soren’s bedroom. The little Vulcan still hadn’t emerged from his room since the previous day. Sighing, Jim finished his coffee, washed the cup and came outside to the living room, only to see Spock had just taken off his robe and was wearing a pair of dress pants and an undershirt that clung too tightly to his well – toned body. Realizing that he was checking Spock out, Jim shook his head and looked up only to see that Spock was staring at him with a strange, unreadable look. Clearing his throat, Jim smiled.

“Hi, Spock.”

“Good morning, Jim.” – Spock greeted him back, and Jim felt his heart miss a beat when he heard his name coming from Spock. They stared at each other for a while longer before Spock cleared his throat.

“Thank you… for taking care of Soren during my absence.” – Spock said with a… strange tone in his voice that Jim couldn’t decipher, but Jim’s mind wasn’t there at the moment. He just smiled.

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Spock. He’s…” – Jim was about to say ‘my own son too’, but he stopped when he saw a frown had made its way onto Spock’s face, as if Spock already knew what Jim was going to say. So he didn’t finish his sentence. Instead, he just gestured towards Soren’s bedroom – “He’s still in his room.”

“He has not woken up yet?” – Spock frowned even more – “That is not like him.” – and immediately made a beeline towards Soren’s room. Jim watched as the door slid open and Spock walked in, before it slid shut again. Sighing, Jim sat down on the sofa, burying his face in his hands.

He might as well just go and pack his things. But he didn’t.

It wasn’t until an hour later until Spock walked out. Alone. His footsteps were heavy and he looked tired, even for a Vulcan. And Jim didn’t miss the way Spock’s chest was soaked. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened.

Apparently Soren had been crying to his father’s chest. Probably cried himself back to sleep.

Jim watched as Spock sat down heavily on the sofa across from Jim, his gaze fell on the floor. Jim could tell that Spock was avoiding looking at Jim, and he knew, that moment, that it was all over.

After a while, Spock finally broke the silence, and the words he said completely shattered every little bit of hope Jim had left.

“Please leave.”

Nodding slightly, Jim stood up and went inside to the guest room. He didn’t bring much, just an average backpack, so it didn’t take him long to pack. Swinging the backpack onto his shoulder, Jim walked outside, past Spock – who still didn’t move an inch from his place. Taking one sad look at the apartment – and Spock – Jim opened the door.

And left.

***

It was probably the worst two weeks of Jim’s life.

Jim was surviving, not living. He went to work, but he couldn’t really focus on his tasks. He just carried them out like a programmed robot. Fortunately, he was new at his job, so he only had simple tasks, mostly to familiarize himself with his new role as an admiral.

And wasn’t it miserable? He gave up the Enterprise for a chance to have a family, and now he had neither.

Sighing, Jim dropped onto his couch, his half – eaten hamburger forgotten on the coffee table. For the past two weeks, he had been surviving on fast food and takeout. He just didn’t have the heart to cook. He hadn’t been shaving, either, and he knew that he was starting to look like a caveman.

He couldn’t find a single fuck to give.

He was about to fall asleep when his doorbell rang, startling him awake. Frowning, Jim slowly approached the door. He knew Bones was still staying with Joanna, and Spock was the least likely to pay him a visit, so who…

He opened the door, and his eyes widened when he saw none other than Soren standing outside his apartment, eyes glued to the ground and hands curled into fists.

“Soren?” – Jim couldn’t hide his surprise – “Why are you here? Where is Spock?”

“Father does not know I am here.” – Soren mumbled – “I came straight here from daycare.”

“Gosh.” – Jim mumbled before ushering Soren inside – “Spock’s gonna kill me for this…” – he let Soren sit down on the sofa while he went to grab him a glass of water. He came back to the living room to see Soren glancing around his apartment in curiosity. He smiled, finding curiosity super adorable on Soren just as it was on Spock. But then his smile disappeared when he remembered what Soren had said.

“Next time, please don’t wander around the city on your own like that, okay?” – Jim said, kneeling down in front of his son and gave him the glass of water – “What if something happened to you? Spock wouldn’t be able to live if something bad happened to you, do you understand?”

“What about you?” – Soren suddenly asked, looking at Jim – “If something happened to me, would you be able to live with it?”

Completely taken aback, Jim’s mouth fell open as he stared at his son in surprise. But he quickly recovered as he shook his head frantically.

“No, of course not. Of course not.” – Jim said quickly – “Both Spock and I won’t be able to live with it. So please, don’t ever do that again. Not until Spock says you’re old enough, okay?”

Soren nodded, tightening his grip on the glass in his hands, while Jim had his hands running up and down Soren’s arms. They stayed like that for a while before Soren spoke up again.

“Are you going back into space soon?” – Soren asked, his voice trembling a little bit. Frowning, Jim looked at his son.

“No? Who told you that?”

“I overheard father’s conversation with someone else 5.4 months ago, shortly before we met.” – Soren answered, avoiding Jim’s gaze – “He knew that you wanted to go back into space, so he was trying to convince that person to let you keep your position as the Captain of the Enterprise.”

Jim gulped. After all he had done, and Spock was still trying to help him?

“No.” – Jim shook his head – “I was about to, but then I found out about you. I found out that I had a son, so I made the decision to stay behind, for him.”

“You did not know about me before we met?” – Soren asked, eyes wide – “Why? Did father not tell you about me?”

“No, he didn’t. But it wasn’t his fault, it was mine.” – Jim smiled weakly – “I gave him the impression that I didn’t want you, so he took you away before I had the chance to find out, because he believed that if I found out, I would resent you.”

“Do you? Resent me?” – Soren asked, his voice trembling again.

“No, kiddo, I don’t.” – Jim smiled wider, although his vision was getting blurry. He had to blink a few times to clear his eyes – “I wouldn’t have stayed behind if I resented you, would I?”

Soren didn’t say anything after that, but a tear already fell down his cheek. Jim brought his hand up to wipe it away, and he was surprised when Soren didn’t bat his hand away.

“All this time… You were not there with me… It was because you did not know, and not because you hated me?” – Soren’s voice was wavering even more than before, and Jim wanted nothing than to gather him into his embrace. He refrained himself though, not sure that such action would be welcome. He could only shake his head frantically.

“No, of course not. I could never hate you. I love you, just as much as Spock does.” – Jim smiled, his vision going blurry again. But before he could do anything about it, Soren had already dropped the glass of water onto the floor and had his arms around Jim’s neck, his face buried in the crook of Jim’s neck. Immediately, Jim had his arms wrapped tight around Soren’s back. He felt his neck getting wet, and he closed his eyes, letting his own tears fall as well.

“Please… Please stay with me… I do not want you to leave again… Stay with me, dad…” – Soren cried into Jim’s neck, and Jim smiled happily through his tears as his heart was filled with love and affection for this little boy – his son – in his arms. Soren just called him ‘dad’, and ever since Spock left, Jim had never been so happy in his life.

“I promise.” – Jim whispered into his son’s silky black hair, kissing Soren on top of his head – “I promise I won’t leave you again, kiddo. I’m here. I promise I’m here.”

Jim continued to hold Soren in his arms as Soren continued to cry into his neck. They stayed like that, for how long Jim couldn’t care, until Soren quiet down.

“Hey, kiddo.” – Jim whispered – “Call me ‘dad’ again, will you?”

Jim’s heart sank when Soren didn’t say anything for a while, but then Soren actually buried his face further into Jim’s neck and said it again, louder, although his voice was a little muffled.

“Dad.”

And Jim smiled. A watery, but happy, smile.


	7. Chapter 7

Jim was woken up by the sound of his PADD ringing. Blinking a few times, he began to rise to reach for his PADD when he realized there was some kind weight on his chest down to his stomach and thighs. Frowning, he glanced down, and immediately saw a small head with smooth, black hair on his chest.

With his memory refreshed, Jim smiled as he remembered what happened. He and his son had spent the time talking quietly until they both fell asleep, Soren on Jim’s chest.

Carefully not to disturb his son, Jim reached his arm towards the coffee table where he had left his PADD, which was near the sofa he fell asleep in. He sighed in relief as he reached his target without disturbing Soren, and seeing he had missed the call already, he turned the PADD on to see who had called him, so he could call them back, and immediately winced when the caller ID appeared in the Missed Calls section.

Spock.

Running his fingers through his hair, he sighed. Jim knew exactly why Spock called him. Bet the Vulcan was probably panicking at the daycare right now. Well, as panic as a Vulcan could be. Jim had never actually seen Spock panic, so he could only guess.

Although, come to think of it, Bones had mentioned Spock panicking once after a certain mission during which Jim was kidnapped by the locals. When they were still in a relationship.

Jim snorted. If he were to be kidnapped now, Spock probably couldn’t care less. And Jim didn’t blame him in any way. Sighing, Jim hit the call button.

Unsurprisingly, Spock picked up after only one ring.

“Jim!” – Spock said the moment they were connected, and Jim could hear the panic clear in his voice – “Soren is missing! I cannot find him at the daycare! I have searched….”

“Spock” – Jim cut him off, suddenly feeling nervous – “Soren’s fine. He’s… He’s here, Spock.”

“Here?” – Spock replied in confusion – “As in… at your apartment? Did you pick him up without notifying me?”

It was barely there, and normal people could never notice it, but Jim knew Spock too well to miss it. Spock was only barely containing his anger as he waited to confirm if Jim had picked Soren up without noticing him. Luckily for Jim, he would never do such a thing, otherwise…

“No, Spock. I absolutely didn’t.” – Jim sighed – “I know I fucked up badly, but you know I would never do such a thing. I would never betrayed your trust like that.”

“Would you?” – Spock said coldly – “Evidence have proved otherwise.”

Jim couldn’t deny that it didn’t hurt a little.

A lot, actually.

“Okay, I… But not to that extent.” – Jim said sincerely – “Not when Soren is involved. Like it or not, he’s our son, Spock.”

Spock didn’t say anything else, just diverted his eyes so he was not looking at Jim. They remained silent for a while, too silent that he could hear his own (and Soren’s) breathing. Tilting the PADD a little bit, Jim looked down at his sleeping son, and ran his fingers through the silky black hair. He had been doing it for a while before he noticed that Spock was now looking at his hand in Soren’s hair. Feeling like he was a kid with his hand caught in the cookie jar, Jim reluctantly withdrew his hand.

“How did he get there?” – Spock asked, his eyes still looking at Soren.

“He walked here.” – Jim replied – “And I already talked to him about why he is absolutely not allowed to do that anymore in the future, so I don’t think you have to worry about it anymore. He’s a good kid.”

“He is.” – Spock said, very quietly, and Jim might not have noticed it had he not been paying close attention to the Vulcan.

It took a while before Spock turned his attention back to Jim again. “What happened?”

“Ah, it’s funny actually.” – Jim chuckled – “He called me Dad, and asked me not to leave again.”

“Would you?” – Spock asked – “Leave again, I mean?”

“What? Of course not!” – Jim exclaimed – “I promised him not to, and I would never…” – Jim was about to say ‘I would never break my promise’, but refrained himself in time. He remembered the promise he had made to Spock when they were about to begin a relationship, when the Vulcan had requested complete monogamy and Jim had promised him, and proceeded to break it anyway.

Spock sighed, actually sighed, and Jim felt even worse. Somehow he knew that Spock knew what he was going to say.

They remained in silent for a while longer before Spock looked at Soren again, who was still sleeping soundly on Jim’s chest.

“Is it troublesome for you if he stays at your apartment tonight?” – Spock asked, completely out of the blue.

The question was so unexpected it had taken Jim’s brain a few seconds to register, and when it finally did, Jim’s eyes went wide.

“NO! I mean no, it’s no trouble at all. He can stay here as many night as he wishes.” – Jim said quickly. He knew he was being too eager, but he didn’t care.

“Just one night.” – Spock said calmly before turning to Jim again – “Bring him to the daycare on time tomorrow morning.” – and without waiting for a reply, Spock cut off the call.

Jim was a little hurt when Spock had ended the call so abruptly, but he shoved it aside. Putting the PADD away, he looked down at the little Vulcan boy on his chest.

One night, Jim smiled to himself as he wrapped his arms around his son. This kept getting better and better


End file.
